The results showed that although all subjects reported high levels of satisfaction
immediately after the consultation in terms of doctor’s understanding, explanation and
being helped, this was higher in those subjects who had received a directive style in their
consultation. In addition, this difference was also found after one week. When the results
were analysed to examine the role of patient characteristics on satisfaction, the results
indicated that the directive style produced higher levels of satisfaction in those patients
who rarely attended the surgery, had a physical problem, did not receive tests and
received a prescription.
Conclusion
The results suggest that a directive consulting style was associated with higher levels
of patient satisfaction than a sharing consulting style. This provides support for the
educational model of doctor–patient communication with the doctor as the ‘expert’ and
the patient as the ‘layperson’. In addition, it suggests that patients in the present study
preferred an authority figure who offered a formal diagnosis rather than a sharing doctor
who asked for the patient’s views. Therefore, although recent research has criticized the
traditional educational model of doctor–patient communication, the results from this
study suggest that some patients may prefer this approach.
Patient’s recall
Researchers also examined the process of recall of the information given during the
consultation. Bain (1977) examined the recall from a sample of patients who had
attended a GP consultation and found that 37 per cent could not recall the name of the
drug, 23 per cent could not recall the frequency of the dose and 25 per cent could
not recall the duration of the treatment. A further study by Crichton et al. (1978), found
that 22 per cent of patients had forgotten the treatment regime recommended by their
doctors. In a meta-analysis of the research into recall of consultation information, Ley
(1981, 1989) found that recall is influenced by a multitude of factors. For example,
Ley argued that anxiety, medical knowledge, intellectual level, the importance of the
statement, primacy effect and the number of statements increase recall. However, he
concluded that recall is not influenced by the age of the patient, which is contrary to
some predictions of the effect of ageing on memory and some of the myths and counter-
myths of the ageing process. Recalling information after the consultation may be related
to compliance.
HOW CAN COMPLIANCE BE IMPROVED?
Compliance is considered to be essential to patient well-being. Therefore, studies have
been carried out to examine which factors can be used in order to improve compliance.
DOCTOR–PATIENT COMMUNICATION 81